When Katherine Legge suffered brutal IndyCar wreck at Road America

Racing in motorsports often comes with its fair share of hazards—something Katherine Legge experienced firsthand during the 2006 IndyCar Road America race. The then 26-year-old suffered a terrifying crash that many spectators could only watch with their fingers crossed.

The PKV Racing Lola driver found herself airborne and subsequently upside down after the rear wing of her car snapped off with four laps remaining in the race. Legge, who was on course for a top-six finish, lost downforce, spun, and slammed into the fence as she approached Turn 11. The force of the crash flipped the car and caused it to disintegrate into pieces, which scattered across the circuit.

The incident prompted a full-course caution, and a subsequent red flag was deployed as the IndyCar medical staff and track marshals rushed to the scene to check on Katherine Legge and to ensure the damaged fencing was repaired.

Thankfully, Legge emerged from her shredded car with only a few bruises. When race action resumed following a 42-minute delay, RuSPORT driver A.J. Allmendinger went on to win the race—coincidentally, his last career victory in IndyCar.

What Katherine Legge said following her Road America crash

Katherine Legge, who was sporting a pink livery on her PKV Racing Lola car—an effort to raise awareness for a breast cancer campaign—appeared unshaken after the incident. The British racer, however, admitted to being lucky to have escaped the crash largely unscathed.

The 44-year-old had suffered a crash heading into Turn 11—the Kink corner—while driving at over 165 MPH, when her rear wing broke, resulting in a massive loss of downforce and a subsequent brutal crash. Sharing her thoughts following the incident, she admitted the crash had occurred during what she considered her best race of the year.

“It's so bad that the accident happened while I was in my best race of the year,” Legge said via Autosport.com.

“I knew something was wrong in a split second after the rear wing broke, because I lost about a thousand pounds of downforce. So suddenly I was speeding up as I turned into the Kink, and the rear end just came around and I was a passenger.”

Speaking further about how relieved she was to escape the incident, Katherine Legge continued:

“That was a real relief, because when you're trapped upside down, the last thing you want is fire. That would be scary.

“But, you know, the tub was fine and it just goes to show how strong these Lolas are. The only thing that hurts is my knee. But, like I say, I'm really bummed because we had been going so well. But when I saw the replay in the medical centre, I could see I was pretty lucky.”

Following the incident, the Guildford native was passed fit to participate in the next race of the season in Perth, Australia. After the conclusion of the campaign, Legge made a switch to the Dale Coyne Racing outfit for 2007—her last full season racing in IndyCar. Her best result with the Illinois-based team was sixth place, which she achieved on two occasions.